This archive report was first published on 3 October 2021.
Real Madrid's poor form continued as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Espanyol on October 3, 2021, in their first Liga loss of the season.
The Spanish giants, who had previously been unbeaten in the league, were looking to pull ahead of Atletico Madrid but instead found themselves trailing behind after a shocking Champions League reverse.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were left reeling after a 2-0 loss to Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League, and their struggles continued in the Liga as they failed to capitalize on Atletico's 2-0 win over crisis-hit Barcelona.
'We played our worst match of the season,' Ancelotti said, adding, 'I agree, we played badly.'
Real Madrid's woes were compounded by a sparkling second goal from Aleix Vidal, who nutmegged Nacho and smashed the ball past Thibaut Courtois in the 60th minute.
Despite Karim Benzema's goal in the 71st minute, Espanyol held on to secure a 2-1 win, leaving Real Madrid without a win in three games.
